By
Barr Zainab Usman Jalingo
Commissioner of information and Re-oreintation.
It is not uncommon, in the theatre of Nigerian politics, for former public officials to rediscover their voices only after their tenure has slipped into irrelevance. It is often the case that the loudest critics of government are those who had every opportunity to shape the same reality they now condemn but chose instead the luxury of silence, absenteeism, and underperformance. The open letter authored by Rt. Hon. Danjuma Usman Shiddi fits neatly into that tradition. Dressed in the language of moral outrage, the letter reads less like an appeal to conscience and more like a calculated attempt at political resurrection.
Hon. Shiddi, who represented the people of Wukari/Ibi Federal Constituency in both the 8th and 9th National Assembly, writes now with the urgency of a man haunted by the achievements of a Governor who, in less than two years, has done more to reposition Taraba than his entire 8 years in Abuja. It would be easier to take his words seriously if they weren’t coated in selective memory and political hypocrisy. Because those of us who were awake during his time in office remember a National Assembly member who couldn’t deliver a single federal project to his people no roads, no hospitals, no economic footprints. Not even a classroom block bears his name.
For those in tune with the state of Taraba before Governor Kefas, you will understand that what is being done by this administration is to fix multiple problems simultaneously. The fact that Governor Kefas kicked off his administration without blaming anyone for the rot on the ground shouldn’t be underrated he is determined to FIX and not blame.Today, Taraba State now has a Development Plan to follow among other plans courtesy of visionary leadership.
Let’s begin with his loudest allegation: debt. He bemoans Taraba’s debt profile as if it were news. But what he conveniently omits is that Governor Agbu Kefas inherited a state with liabilities and little liquidity. What he met was a mountain of debt, a demoralized civil service, crumbling schools, decaying health facilities, and a state whose developmental index had flatlined. But in the face of this challenge, Governor Kefas did not complain he acted. As recently confirmed by multiple reports including SolaceBase, Taraba’s domestic debt was reduced from ₦81 billion to ₦32 billion within the Governor’s first year in office. This was not through wishful thinking, but fiscal discipline and reallocation of wasteful spending.
The ₦350 billion bond referenced by Shiddi is not a secret transaction. It was publicly debated, transparently approved by the State House of Assembly, and tied to long-term infrastructure, education, and healthcare reforms. It is not borrowing for borrowing’s sake. It is borrowing to fix the consequences of leaders like Shiddi, who sat idly in the National Assembly while their constituents rots without good schools and good hospitals.
Now, he complains about the renovation of the Danbaba Suntai Airport, which is today back in operation having received its first flight in over four years. For Shiddi, the idea of building modern aviation infrastructure in Taraba is extravagant. But for visionary leadership, it is strategic. It is about connecting Taraba to the rest of the country for trade, emergency response, tourism, and investor mobility. Taraba is no longer content with being left behind. We are not building for the now; we are building for generations. The Governor understands this. Unfortunately, career politicians who never looked beyond their own electoral cycles do not.
The most disingenuous part of his letter, however, is the attack on education. Shiddi accuses the government of offering “empty gestures.” This would be hilarious if it weren’t so tragic. Governor Kefas declared free and compulsory education in July 2023, and within months, enrollment surged across all public schools in the state. Over 300,000 learning materials, for pupils like uniforms, books, IPads and sandals have being procured and awaits distributions. Over 60 schools are undergoing reconstruction , and WAEC/NECO fees are now paid 100% by the state government. And where was Shiddi in all the years he held federal power? Not once did he sponsor a bill, raise a motion, or even donate a single classroom to the children of his constituents. To now raise his voice in the name of those children is political cynicism of the worst kind.
He asks what the government has done with its increased federal allocation. The answer is simple and visible: implementation of two minimum wages,₦30,000 and ₦70,0000 in his first year in office,school renovations, improved Security in the state,payment of gratuity to the retirees,Procurement of over 850 tractors for local farmers to boost agriculture,proviosion of free fertilizers to boost agriculture, slashing of tuition fees for tertiary institutions in the state by 50%
on security, Hon. Shiddi’s memory fails him again. Under Governor Kefas, Taraba has established the Peace and Justice Commission to handle communal disputes, deployed security task forces to crisis zones like Karim, Ussa, Takum, and Wukari, and intensified collaboration with federal agencies to tackle kidnappings and banditry. Shiddi, in contrast, never once used his office in the House of Representatives to facilitate security hardware, federal response, or even state-federal synergy in his constituency. But now, from the comfort of political retirement, he finds the courage to accuse others of indifference.
His critique of foreign travels is equally laughable both in its shallowness and its selective blindness. Governor Agbu Kefas has never hidden the purpose of his strategic engagements beyond our borders. These journeys were not made for the sake of snapshots with foreign flags, nor to decorate social media feeds. They were calculated moves in the chessboard of development. Whether it was the MoU signed with Chinese energy giants for hydroelectric projects or the governor’s strategic discussions with multilateral partners that culminated in Taraba’s inclusion in the World Bank AGILE programme, each trip was a brick in the foundation of economic resurgence.
But perhaps the most compelling vindication of these travels was witnessed just recently when the state rolled out the red carpet for Taravest, a high-level investment summit that turned Jalingo from a sleepy capital into a global investment hub for three historic days. Captains of industry, policy makers, economists, and investors converged not in Lagos, not in Abuja, but in Taraba. Among them were Tony Elumelu and Aliko Dangote, men whose presence anywhere is not dictated by protocol but by economic promise. They came, not because of friendship, but because something about Taraba now speaks the language of opportunity.
So, if Shiddi’s lens is too narrow to see beyond the airport lounge, the rest of the world is already watching Taraba through a different frame: as a state open for business, not bickering.
As for the 2024 budget ₦147 billion in size it is the most ambitious, people-focused document the state has seen in years. Over 65% of the capital votes are already in implementation phase. Hospitals in Gembu and Zing are undergoing modernization. Schools in Jalingo, Kurmi, Sardauna, and Gassol are being rehabilitated. Shiddi, unfortunately, cannot recognize this because governance was never his terrain lawmaking wasn’t either.
It must also be said: Taraba’s mineral wealth is not a forgotten conversation. The Taraba Mineral Development Agency has been empowered to regulate artisanal mining, enforce environmental protections, and ensure that host communities benefit directly. For the first time, Taraba is setting rules instead of begging exploiters.
Ultimately, Hon. Shiddi’s letter is not about Taraba. It is about regret. It is the regret of a politician who once had power and did nothing with it. It is the panic of a man watching a younger, more dynamic leader do in one term what he couldn’t achieve in 8 years. The people of Taraba know the difference. They see the clinics that now function,and the schools that now have light, books, and hope.
Governor Agbu Kefas is not perfect. No leader is. But what cannot be denied is his sincerity, his presence, and his unmatched resolve to rebuild Taraba from the ruins left by politicians like Shiddi. History will not be kind to those who watched the house burn and brought no water only to return later with lectures on fire prevention.
Let Shiddi continue writing open letters. We will continue opening classrooms, hospitals, markets, and roads.
Taraba is already moving forward.
Barr Zainab Usman Jalingo is the Commissioner of information and Re-oreintation, Taraba State.
